


there's an ocean here, but you are all I see

by theprincessed



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romantic Fluff, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27336637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: It's 2030 and the Dreamies are in rehearsals for their next tour, but Jeno is also planning an extra special surprise for Jaemin on the last night that could be life-changing for the both of them...
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 85





	there's an ocean here, but you are all I see

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! I'm being a bit cheeky. This is actually part of my first proper [twitter AU](https://twitter.com/theprincessed/status/1321028771563085824?s=19) that I just finished, but I love the narration so much that I'm putting it here too for everyone to read as well lol.
> 
> Title from _Baby, It's You_ by London Grammar. The song inspired the whole fic actually.
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

It is always a slightly sad feeling to come to the end of a concert, but it's also tinged with lingering adrenaline from doing your best to make a good performance. Jaemin feels that now, standing as he and his members say their ending mentions. It's more emotional than usual because it's the last night of another NCT Dream tour, wrapping up in Taiwan a few weeks before Christmas.

Sweating from stage lights and hard choreography, Jaemin folds his arms and looks down at his feet to attempt at hiding his smile as Jeno raises his microphone to his mouth. Jaemin is aware of his boyfriend's presence nearby like usual, but he's not paying him attention directly when Jeno starts to speak.

"Everyone...well, where do I begin?" He hesitates for a moment, the audience tonight falling quieter to seemingly match his mood. "First of all, thank you to you, our Czennies, for coming. I hope you enjoyed our performances and the new sides of us that we've shown. It's been a long few months planning this tour, so thank you to the staff who've worked hard and to my members for picking me up when I was down and cheering me to be at my best. Thank you to my eomma, appa and my sister for flying out to see us too. But, actually, what I really want to do is say a special kind of thank you to one person. Jaeminnie?"

On hearing his name, Jaemin's eyes snap to Jeno to his left. His smile is wobbly, but his eyes shape into the curves Jaemin loves so much that a sudden burst of butterflies awakens in his stomach. For the first time in years, he has no idea what Jeno is thinking. His hands are restless on his mic and he paces in a little circle, trying to give off a casual air instead of the nerves Jaemin can spot in his mind and body.

He tilts his head fondly as he gestures outwards to where their huge, strangely blank LED screens line the main stage. "Can you face the stage for me, please?"

Jaemin feels Jisung give him a push forward and Donghyuck grins at him from behind Jeno, practically vibrating with excitement. In fact, all of his members have some type of smile on their face, like they know something that he doesn't.

He blinks when the lights suddenly turn off again and the venue is plunged back into darkness. He sees the sway of lightsticks at the edges of the room and hears the screams once more. They don't sound as loud now, as if waiting for answers just like Jaemin is, and he doesn't have to wait any longer as the screens flicker into life.

With his members standing two steps behind him, Jaemin stares, transfixed, as pictures of him and Jeno in their pre-debut and SM Rookies days start to fill the screen, edited like a patchwork of memories. Then comes Jeno's deep, comforting timbre as a voiceover.

"This is where you and I began, Jaemin-ah. It’s well known that it takes me a while to warm to people, but you never let that put you off. You say you’re the least competitive person and yet you do like a challenge. You spent time with me when you didn’t need to, choosing to be by my side when it wasn’t for school or trainee practice. I saw what a good person you were, slowly but surely.”

As if to condense the many years they’ve spent in the same group together, images cycle quickly onscreen to show their history with the other members. The pace pays particular attention to their comebacks and achievements and Jaemin glances away for a second, biting his lip when he sees the smiles on their faces here that’s mirrored larger than life in the video. He’s always been strong enough to resist crying on stage, but this is overwhelming. He feels so much, all of the time, and Jeno’s showing him his heart right now. It feels like he’s reaching into Jaemin’s chest to find his own, gently holding it in his palm with all the care and love his whole being possesses.

The voiceover brings Jaemin back to look at the screens, avoiding Jeno’s real gaze as he loiters nearby. Jaemin senses something big is happening. “We became friends and continued to do everything together until I knew you were my _best_ friend. I trusted you because you saw the real me and I saw the real you and that’s what mattered most. When we debuted in Dream, I knew we could rely on each other to keep us going, to share in the excitement or cheer up when it got too much. And then, just as quickly…” Jaemin holds his breath in the pause and gets the impression that everyone else is doing the same. “...you were gone.”

The screens fade to black and Jaemin isn’t sure how much more he can take of this as there’s a swell of wounded noise that comes from the audience he’d forgotten were even there.

Then he hears Jeno giggle, his tone full of reminiscing. “I didn’t know how I was gonna cope without you. Some days I bet the members would say I didn’t and I can admit that now. I might as well because I’m telling you everything here, tonight.”

Again, Jaemin looks towards the members and his frown melts away at seeing them nod their heads at Jeno’s truth. Jaemin aches for him, but his feet are rooted to the stage and Jeno’s still talking as the one on stage bites his nails, mic in a tight grip in front of his mouth and his gaze refusing to meet Jaemin’s.

“Fortunately, you came back!” he exclaims and the venue erupts into screams and cheers and applause. Jaemin felt the love back then in 2018, but this is another level, and he wraps his arms around his torso in an imitation of the hug he can feel from the energy in the room. “It was a long, uncertain road, but you did it. You conquered the worst challenge of your life because that’s who you are, Jaemin-ah. You’re determined and ambitious and brave. You live your life to the fullest and do things your own way. I admire you for that, we all do, and yet I knew it meant more for me. My feelings for you changed.”

“Ooh, here it comes!” Donghyuck suddenly declares on stage. “Listen up, everyone, to the love story!”

Jaemin giggles and he watches Jeno roll his eyes, his ears pink, as there’s another wave of screams. At least Jeno isn’t making their fans sad anymore.

A pause once more and then an acoustic guitar as background music, something mellow and pretty that he doesn’t recognise. His heart that Jeno’s been holding leaps into Jaemin’s throat though as he does recognise the clips and the photographs used now, some public and some deeply private and personal. He whips his head towards his boyfriend, watches Jeno finally meet his eyes to mouth “sorry” and he shrugs, feeling embarrassed but not for the reason they might think. He’s fine with Jeno expressing himself and their relationship like this because he knows he would only do this for a worthy reason, he’s just flustered at how utterly besotted he looks. Jeno looks just as in love, luckily.

“I don’t know if it was the same time for you because we just kind of fell into being inseparable again and got closer and closer until one day we, uh...kissed. That was nearly 12 years ago and we’ve not looked back since. It’s a journey that continues to have its ups and downs, but I wouldn’t want anyone else right next to me.

Roughly 10 years ago, you took me on a short little trip for a TV show and told me everything I knew already, thanks to a view we couldn’t see and a message in lights. Hopefully tonight, in a different way but with the same intention, I’m doing the same for you. No video, no voiceover, frankly no song - this is me playing the guitar, by the way, and Mark hyung helped me make the recording perfect - ” If Jaemin concentrates hard enough through his unshed tears, he swears he can hear Jeno’s crescent-eyed smile. “ - Anyway, no song or anything else could ever come close to showing you how I feel about you. I love you, Jaemin-ah, and I think it’s time I let the world know just how much.”

With a final strummed note, the video ends and Jaemin blinks as the stage lights turn on again, bathed in a warm, cosy yellow as a tear rolls down his cheek and the screens fill again with he and his members standing on the second stage. Jaemin uses his sleeve to wipe his face and laugh wetly at himself and he’s about to say thank you to his boyfriend for such a nice gesture when he realises that Mark, Donghyuck, Renjun, Jisung and Chenle have formed a line in front of him, facing the crowd, and he almost flinches in shock when there’s a light touch to his fingers. He watches dumbly as Jeno then grabs his hand properly, turning him so he’s facing him and not their members.

“Jaemin-ah,” he smiles, squeezing his hand that’s lax in his grasp. “I hope that video was good enough and that the editing was up to your semi-professional standards - ”

Jaemin’s mind is reeling. He feels like he needs to lie down in the dark somewhere. “Jeno - ”

“Wait!” he raises the hand holding his mic, “Let me get this out first. I made that video just in case my voice failed me tonight in telling you how much you mean to me, but I realised when I was making it and again when I was watching it now with you that I don’t think I ever could say out loud what’s in here,” he points to his heart and then Jaemin’s and Jaemin feels his chin quiver, a fresh waterfall of happy tears ready to descend if he carries on, “and that’s okay because you know. You know all about me. I’m an open book with you. You did it, you always rise to the challenge. You wanted to be my friend and I wanted to let you in.

There was no other option and then I felt more. How could I not? You’re irresistible and I wanted to give you all of me. I was really, really lucky you felt the same. So, we’re not two halves of a whole, we’re two separate, complete people. We’re a team, you and me, and I want you by my side forever. Will you be by my side forever, sweetheart?”

The venue has gone from deafening screams to deafening near-silence. Jaemin hears his heartbeat in his ears and he lets his tears fall. To hell with being the strong one as these are the prettiest, most romantic words he’s ever heard.

Suddenly, he sees movement from the corner of his eye and watches in confusion as his members start removing the sweaters they insisted on for the last night of this tour. He thought it a little weird, but now the reason is revealed and his mouth drops open when he sees that they have a message for him printed on the backs of their t-shirts. A question, actually.

Accidentally dropping his mic to the floor and barely hearing the thud and sharp whine of feedback, Jaemin instinctively tries to take a step back, but Jeno squeezes his hand tighter and perseveres, exhibiting the bravery he commended him for earlier. He watches Jeno swallow, then lower slowly onto one knee, mic to his lips so everyone can hear but his gaze never leaves Jaemin’s shocked, tear-streaked face.

“Jaemin, will you marry me?”

He’s pretty sure none of them have ever heard a noise like it as the audience of fans and - Jaemin realises the extra reason why - some family go crazy. In the midst of a wall of sound, he yanks his hand out of Jeno’s grip and stumbles across to the other end of the small second stage, hiding his face in his hands as he cries harder. This is so embarrassing, to be so undone in public, but his heart is full to bursting and he emerges from his cocoon when he hears his name frantically being yelled by his members.

“Jaemin-ah!”

“Oh my god, hyung!”

“Answer him!”

The chorus of shouts make him realise his mistake and his eyes slide to Jeno, still on one knee and this time holding a tiny box with a ring.

An engagement ring.

Jeno wants to marry him.

Jeno wants to marry Jaemin.

He thinks back to the TV show Jeno mentioned in the video and how those words were just a fraction of what he felt for Jeno even back then and that his feelings have grown even bigger with time.

Wow. Jeno just _proposed_ to him.

When Jaemin looks at him again, he sees that his head is lowered, a picture of nerves at best and dejection at worst, so, to fix the error of his ways, Jaemin rushes forward, running until he’s close enough to barrel into him and pull Jeno to his feet, his hands continuing to clutch the open box.

“Yes!” he exclaims too loudly into Jeno’s mic, his voice booming around the room. “I’m sorry! Of course I’ll marry you, Jeno! Oh my god, a million times yes!”

His arms loop around Jeno’s shoulders before he can speak or do anything and he can feel Jeno shaking in his embrace and breathing hard into the sweaty crook of his neck as everyone around them explodes with joy for the second time.

“You’re really saying yes?” Jeno asks in his ear, voice trembling too. “Really? Don’t feel like you have to say yes because I - I realise I just asked you in front of everyone here and - oh god, was this stupid?”

Clearly having forgotten that his mic is situated somewhere within their tangle of arms and everybody can hear his rising anxiety, Jaemin takes the mic from him and wraps his other arm around Jeno’s waist. “Look at me, Jeno-yah.” He obeys reluctantly, fiddling with the ring box. “Does this look like the face of someone who hated your marriage proposal?”

Jeno’s ears turn from pink to red and Jaemin shivers a little at hearing the words as well. He can hardly believe it himself yet and his heart skips as Jeno reaches up to wipe away Jaemin’s tears with his thumb. “You cried. I never want to make you cry.”

“It’s overwhelming, but happy tears only, I promise.” Jaemin grins, rubbing Jeno’s back in soothing up and down motions before his smile turns sly. “So, when do I get to wear that ring you’re holding, babe?”

Jeno fumbles with the box as the room quiets and Jaemin gives him the space to pull the ring out, handing the empty box off to Chenle who’s nearest, so he can shyly slide the band onto Jaemin’s fourth finger. He knew from the box that Jeno must have bought it from Cartier and he wants to protest at the amount of money he probably spent until he sees the sparkle in Jeno’s eyes. He’s pleased and hopeful and Jaemin loves it twice. One because it’s from Jeno, the love of his life, and two because it’s a beautiful ring. A white gold band he could easily use for his wedding day if he wanted, the ring is studded with a single diamond glittering brilliantly clear under the hot stage lights. He imagines making a necklace with it after their wedding; something to keep close to his heart.

Jaemin wiggles his fingers and beams at Jeno, his _fiancé_. “It’s beautiful, I love it.”

Mark claps Jeno on the shoulder. “You did good, Jeno.”

“You!” Jaemin points accusingly at his hyung and then briefly lets his finger travel to encompass every member. “I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me for so long and helped Jeno put this together! Lucky for you, I’m really thankful for the video and for your efforts.”

Jaemin hands Mark the mic, so what he says next is only for Jeno. He holds him tight and cups his jaw. “I love you, Jeno-yah. And I can’t wait to call you my husband.”

Seemingly drained of energy since he pulled off his big surprise proposal, he lets Jaemin manhandle him into a kiss. They very rarely kiss in public, but tonight is an exception. He needs Jeno to feel how much he loves him too. As he’s Jaemin, he can’t keep it strictly tame and he feels Jeno gasp into his mouth as he licks past his lips. Nothing matters but the man in his arms.

That said, all too soon for him but probably sensibly so, Jaemin hears someone cough awkwardly into their mic and he pulls away from their kiss to look over his shoulder at Renjun. His members have their eyebrows raised and amusement on their faces, except for Jisung who has his hands on his head. Even after all this time, Jaemin supposes for him that it’s still like seeing his parents make out.

“Well, on that bombshell, we actually have to end the show now,” Renjun says in a flatly joking tone, sighing as the room collectively groans. “I know, I know, it’s an anti-climax, but we want you all to get home safely, if a little later than expected.”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck joins in, shuffling towards Renjun, “and I don’t want to see them make out anymore.”

He jerks his thumb towards the newly-engaged couple and shudders comically as Jeno pouts, squirming in Jaemin’s hold. “We didn’t - it wasn’t - !”

With his mic still in Mark’s hand, Jeno’s voice doesn’t carry as well as he wants it to and Jaemin chuckles. His members haven’t changed and neither have he and his fiancé.

“Anyway,” Mark says, stepping between Donghyuck and Renjun on one side and Jaemin and Jeno on the other, taking charge like the de facto leader he is, “get home safely, guys, like Renjun said. Thank you for coming! We’ve been NCT Dream, we love you, goodnight!”

Finding that there’s nothing that they haven’t said in their ending mentions or afterwards, everyone nods in agreement and they start the process of coming together, interlocking fingers to bow to each side of the venue. In the meantime, the cheers have gone from fever pitch to plain happy and wistful, wanting to see their idols for just a little bit longer.

All members but Jaemin and Jeno release fingers once they’ve completed their bows and begin the walk to head backstage, waving as they go. Jaemin doesn’t want to let Jeno go though, not for a second, and his shoulder seems to feel the same, bumping against Jaemin’s like they’re magnets drawn into each other’s gravitational pull. He tugs Jeno even closer and his arm settles around Jaemin’s waist in return as they smile and wave, the last to leave. Jaemin can’t help grinning at him and blowing him a kiss.

They might be leaving the stage tonight and leaving this tour behind, but they’re taking with them all the memories made. Memories that will definitely last forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies. Any kudos and/or comments are greatly appreciated x
> 
> [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/theprincessed) & [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/theprincessed) @theprincessed - Come chat to me (seriously, I need more kpop friends lol). :)


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